Chinese Humanoid Robot Smashes Usain Bolt's 100-Meter World Record

Staff members prepare Booster Robotics humanoid robots before the opening ceremony for the second World Humanoid Robot Games.

A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has completed a 100-metre (328ft) sprint in 9.32 seconds, according to reports by China’s state broadcaster. This achievement outpaces the human world record currently held by Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt.

Named Lightning, the robot achieved a peak speed of 14.5 metres (47.6ft) per second during a preparatory test event held ahead of the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, which officially opened on Saturday.

This remarkable performance surpasses the 9.58-second men’s 100-metre world record that Bolt established at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2009. China continues to champion humanoid robots as a key strategic emerging industry. Policymakers and various companies are heavily investing in the belief that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and hardware will speed up their integration into manufacturing, logistics, and consumer markets.

Lightning previously claimed victory in the 21km (13-mile) Beijing half marathon in April, finishing with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds—a pace faster than the elite men’s human world record.

During the half marathon, the robot measured 169cm (5.5ft) in height with 95cm (3.1ft) legs. Ahead of the World Humanoid Robot Games, researchers extended its legs by 10 cm to reach 1.05 metres (3.4ft), as reported by CCTV.